Bird MVP for 3rd Time, Starts on No. 4

Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird, named the Most Valuable Player in the National Basketball Assn. for the third consecutive year Wednesday, said he will continue to work on his game in order to win the award an unprecedented fourth straight time.

Bird, a seven-year pro, joined former centers Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to be named regular-season MVP three years in a row.

“I think I can win this some more if I just go out and work hard this summer and come back in the right frame of mind,” said Bird, who was among the league leaders in five statistical categories. “There’s no question that next year, if I feel like I do right now, I can win it again.”

Bird easily outdistanced forward Dominique Wilkins of the Atlanta Hawks by receiving 765 of a possible 780 points. Bird received 73 of 78 first-place votes cast by members of the media in NBA cities. Wilkins received the other five first-place votes, with Bird second on all five ballots. Wilkins had 407 points, followed by Laker guard Magic Johnson with 205.

Bird led the league with an .896 free-throw average, was fourth in scoring with an average of 25.8 points a game, fifth in three-point average with .423, seventh in rebounds with a 9.8 average and ninth in steals with a 2.02 average.

The Houston Rockets’ Akeem Olajuwon was fourth in the voting with 193 points, and the Lakers’ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was fifth with 135.